SynthStamp vs bitcrust
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
SynthStamp
Explore vintage synthesizers with fully modeled engines and familiar interfaces. Patch, save, and share your creations across devices. Features real-time effects processing and models based on iconic hardware.
- Fully modeled vintage synth engines
- Patchable semi-modular synthesizer
- Circuit-bendable sampling keyboard
- Real-time effects processing
- Audio Unit (AUv3) plugin support
- Cross-device preset sharing
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The Vintage Synth Playground You Can Take Anywhere SynthStamp is a celebration of the history of electronic music, featuring fully modeled engines and familiar user interfaces behind some of the most desirable synthesizers. Tap and drag to patch, save your patch as a preset, and export presets to share across all of your devices including Mac, iPhone, and iPad. Yes that's right, iPhone. Take your sound anywhere. --- Stereo audio input for realtime effects processing Model based on the ARP 2600--finally on mobile Circuit-bendable model based on the SK-1--we haven't seen one either --- Choose Your Adventure 5001 Analog Synthesizer: dynamically patchable, semi-modular, monophonic analog synthesizer from the late '70s, with stereo preamplifier. A real idea factory, from classic analog synth leads to creative sound design, this synth is a tool for exploration and experimentation. You'll truly fall in love with the snappy, milky quality of the voltage-controlled filter. B500 Sampling Keyboard: circuit-bendable ROMpler from the mid '80s, with 4-voice polyphony, multi-channel note memory, and stereo sampler. Bend, sample, and compose melodies with this portable gem. Combine with continuous live sampling to create sounds that simply shouldn't exist. Flexibly Configurable, Infinitely Creative SynthStamp can be run as a standalone application or as an Audio Unit (AUv3) plugin inside supported DAWs, either as an Instrument with mono side chain input, or as a Music Effect on stereo/mono audio tracks for realtime processing, with full MIDI support. Presets can be imported and exported for easy sharing across devices, while on the same device, presets are stored in a common location across standalone and Audio Unit installations for shared access. Privacy Policy: https://themusicologygroup.com/privacy/
bitcrust
This application offers a polyphonic synthesizer with a SID-style voice architecture, featuring multiple oscillators, ring modulation, and hard sync. It provides extensive modulation capabilities and a post-synthesis effects rack, extending its sonic range beyond traditional chip synths.
- 12-voice polyphony
- 3 oscillators per voice with SID-style behavior
- Extensive modulation matrix
- 6-slot post-SID FX rack
- 16-step sequencer and arpeggiator
- AUv3 and Standalone support
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bitcrust is a polyphonic synthesizer built around a SID-style voice architecture: three oscillators per voice, up to twelve voices, with ring mod, hard sync, and the pulse-width behaviour that defined a generation of 8-bit sound. The DSP is an in-house, clean-room implementation written from the public MOS 6581 register map and general DSP literature. It's not an emulator port, so bitcrust sounds SID-adjacent without inheriting the license constraints that keep most SID-inspired tools off the major app stores. Sonically it sits between a chip synth and a modern subtractive. The voice core still does gritty arp basses, zap leads and 8-bit percussion, but the architecture around it (three LFOs, a per-voice mod envelope, an 8-slot modulation matrix, and a 6-slot post-SID FX rack with drive, bitcrusher, tempo-synced delay, chorus, reverb, compressor and limiter) pushes it into pad, keys and texture territory. WHAT THIS PURCHASE INCLUDES Universal Purchase: one price buys the Mac app plus the iPad version (Standalone and AUv3). On the Mac, the App Store build is the Standalone app only. No AU, no VST3: the Mac App Store doesn't distribute plugin formats. AU and VST3 versions are available separately; details at anode-labs.com/bitcrust. The iPad build is a co-equal target, not a downscale. The full 179-preset factory library, all 14 themes, and the complete mod matrix and FX rack ship on both platforms. • Voice core: 12-voice polyphony, 3 oscillators per voice, SID-style triangle / saw / pulse / noise with hard sync and ring mod, per-VCO ADSR • Filter: global VCF (LP / BP / HP) with live curve, selectable 6581 / 8580 chip model, Vintage vs. Modern oscillator mode • Modulation: 3 global LFOs (7 shapes, host-sync or Hz), per-voice mod envelope, 8-slot matrix, MIDI sources (velocity, poly AT, channel AT, mod wheel, pitch bend) • FX rack: 6 slots, drag-to-reorder, per-slot bypass / mix; Drive (5 modes), Bitcrusher, Delay (tempo-sync), Chorus, Reverb, Compressor, Limiter. Every FX parameter is a modulation destination. • MIDI: 16-step sequencer, arpeggiator (Up / Down / UpDown / Random, 6 rate divisions, octave range), MIDI Learn on every knob, note Hold • Presets: 179 factory patches across 10 groups, full-metadata save (author, description, tags), Preset Preview audition without committing, A/B snapshot compare, XML import / export • UI: 6-tab navigation, 14 themes with optional phosphor / CRT overlays, monitor strip (oscilloscope, vectorscope, FFT spectrum, 3D spectrogram, stereo field), QWERTY note typing from any tab Mac: Standalone app, universal binary (Apple Silicon + Intel), macOS 12 (Monterey) or later. iPad: AUv3 extension plus a Standalone for headphone jamming. In-DAW use on iPad needs an AUv3 host (GarageBand, Logic Pro for iPad, AUM, Cubasis and so on). Support: https://anode-labs.com/bitcrust · support@anode-labs.com Privacy policy: https://anode-labs.com/privacy
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: bitcrust at $1.99 against SynthStamp's $4.99. On rating, ratings volume, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
SynthStamp costs $4.99 and bitcrust $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.4 for SynthStamp against 4.4 for bitcrust. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 12 and 7 respectively.
SynthStamp ships an update every 5 days, bitcrust every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 9, 2026 and October 1, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | SynthStamp | bitcrust |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $4.99 | $1.99 — better |
| Rating | 4.4 (12 ratings) | 4.4 (7 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 43.8% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 12 — better | 7 |
| Update frequency | Every 5 days | Every 3 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac — better | iPad, Mac |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 39 MB | 16 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | The Musicology Group, Inc. | Michele Caserta |
Customer experience
SynthStamp
bitcrust
In-app purchases
SynthStamp
No in-app purchases
bitcrust
No in-app purchases






